There exist various types of vehicles used mainly in off-road conditions. One such type is the side-by-side off-road vehicle. The name “side-by-side” refers to the seating arrangement of the vehicle in which the driver and passenger(s) are seated side-by-side. Some side-by-side off-road vehicles also have a second row of seats to accommodate one or more additional passengers. These vehicles typically have a frame forming a cockpit area in which the seats are disposed, a roll cage and power pack area. These vehicles also have a steering wheel, a power pack including an internal combustion engine disposed in the power pack area, and ground-engaging wheels. These vehicles have a compact frame in order to minimize its weight and to improve its overall performance. As such, the configuration and positioning of each one of the components in a side-by-side off-road vehicle may therefore be selected in order to provide such a compact frame.
In recent years, some government authorities have required that side-by-side off-road vehicles be equipped with a fuel vapor containment system to reduce emission of fuel vapors into the atmosphere. Such a fuel vapor containment system is fluidly connected between the fuel tank and the air intake system of the engine, and includes a fuel vapor evaporation canister that accumulates at least some of the fuel vapors emitted by the liquid fuel contained in the fuel tank. When the engine is in operation, the fuel vapor containment system can be configured so that the fuel vapors contained in the canister are purged from the canister into the air intake system and consumed by the engine.
Since the frame of a side-by-side off-road vehicle is compact and already supports various components, installing a fuel vapor containment system in a side-by-side off-road vehicle becomes challenging. Nevertheless, there is a desire for having a fuel vapor containment system within a side-by-side off-road vehicle.